Rhoda Hayes

Rhoda was born in the town of Temiscaming, Quebec , first child to Jack and Florence Gagnon and sister to Junior and Mona. She was raised in a lively French-Canadian home filled with laughter, music and song where she developed her lifelong love of dancing, first doing vaudeville acts with her talented Dad, to nightly ballroom dancing as a single girl in Toronto to line-dancing in her retirement. As a child, Rhoda was a gifted student, graduating high school at age 16, then continuing her business studies at O`Sullivan College in Montreal. In Toronto she met her first love and married John Calvin Aiken in 1949, enjoying 34 happy years. They settled in Highland Creek and raised two children, Jeannie and Larry and once grown Rhoda re-established her career at Revenue Canada supervising a large staff in the Taxation Department. Rhoda moved to Ottawa in 1989 to be closer to her family where she met John Hayes, fell in love and they married in 1990. She now had two step-children, Linda and Tony Hayes, whom she welcomed into her family circle. Rhoda and John travelled the world extensively enjoying 22 years of happy marriage. Grandma or Gram was very proud of, and actively involved in, the lives of her grandchildren; Chantelle (Shawn), Adam (Amanda), Jessica, Carolyn (Mor), Jillian, Patrick, Natasha (Nicholas), Kristen, Valerie and Gabriel and her many nieces and nephews. Rhoda was predeceased by her parents; Jack Gagnon and Florence Fleurie; her husband John Calvin Aiken; and brother Junior Gagnon. She is survived by her sister Mona, brother in law Jim Dunlop, children Jeannie and Larry (Karen), stepchildren Linda and Tony (Nicole). The family express our deepest gratitude to Jim and Mona Dunlop, and their daughters Debbie (Claude), Colleen (Joe) and Brenda (David) and children Dustin, Kaylee, Breanna and Carter, for their devotion and loving care of Rhoda. Special appreciation to the home care support workers of CCAC and the professional and dedicated staff at Alta Vista Retirement Residence who formed a beautiful circle of care for Rhoda. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten, by her family and friends. The family will receive friends at McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home, 1411 Hunt Club Road (at Albion Road) on Thursday, November 1, 2012 from 2-4 & 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass will be held on Friday at 11 am at St. Bernard`s Church, 1720 St Bernard Street. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Parkinson Research Consortium. Interment will be held in Barrie Ontario at a later date.